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For breakfast, they’ll boost your energy levels until lunchtime. They’re certainly a step up from normal, processed breakfast cereals, as they’re easy to digest and packed with natural vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre. And they’re better than fruit juices, as they’re a richer source of fibre.
Kids also love smoothies. They’re particularly useful if your little ones refuse to eat their greens, as vegetables can be disguised by fruit (e.g. banana), yoghurt and a touch of honey...
Smoothie tips
Yes, smoothies can bring variety to your diet. Adjust them to suit your mood, symptoms, immune status and energy requirements for the day.
A few tips:
• Choose your ingredients based on what’s in season. Seasonal produce contain all the nutrients you need for the specific time of year.
• Go for pure, whole ingredients, e.g. fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
• Avoid the use of sugar-added fruit juices, sweetened yoghurt and ice cream as your base. Use 100% or freshly squeezed juice, medicinal teas, elixirs, aloe vera, pure spring water, coconut water, a milk alternative, or plain, unsweetened yoghurt as your base.
• Sweeten your smoothies naturally with fruit. If necessary, you can add some honey, xylitol, stevia, fruit juice or dates, but try to become accustomed to smoothies that aren’t so sweet.
• If you need extra sustenance, add a complex carbohydrate (e.g. cooked quinoa or oats), a protein (e.g. egg, almond powder, chia, spirulina or a good-quality protein powder such as brown rice protein, pea or whey isolate) and/or a fat (e.g. avocado, coconut oil, flaxseeds, coconut milk, peanut butter, tahini, almond butter or nuts).
Smoothie recipes
Convinced that smoothies are the way to go? Get started with these recipes:
1. Green smoothie
Leafy, fresh greens are incredibly healthy and packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. When blended into smoothies, they’re easy to enjoy and digest. This green smoothie will help you to detoxify, alkalise and gain energy, making it a fantastic hangover cure. It will also strengthen your immunity.
Ingredients: Apple, cucumber, spinach, lemon, lemon peel, ginger, celery, pear, avocado, banana, apple juice and parsley.
Notes: Use green tea or freshly juiced beetroot juice as a base ingredient. Green tea helps to boost the metabolism, while beetroot helps to clear out bile and detoxify the liver. As a substitute for green leafy vegetables, you can use a powdered green concentrate, e.g. wheatgrass, barley grass, chlorella or alfalfa. Just one serving added to a smoothie daily will subtly assist to keep your body clear of toxins.
2. Cleansing smoothie
This smoothie can be enjoyed on a warm spring morning to rehydrate the body and flush out toxins.
Ingredients: Watermelon or sweet melon, cucumber, grated ginger, mint, lemon rind and honey.
Optional extra: Plain yoghurt for a creamier texture. Notes: Melon is a very good diuretic. It also cleanses the lymphatic system, liver and kidneys. Cucumber contains a high amount of potassium, which helps the body to rehydrate.
3. Tropical smoothie
The tropical flavours in this smoothie makes it particularly refreshing. It’s a good one to have after a workout.
Ingredients: Coconut water, mango, banana, pineapple, granadilla and yoghurt.
Optional extra: Add fresh turmeric or half a teaspoon of turmeric powder or ginger. These spices have anti-inflammatory properties and work well in mango-and-yoghurt-based smoothies.
Notes: Coconut water is rich in electrolytes and can help to replace lost fluids and minerals after exercising. Mango is a good source of beta-carotene, while the fibre in bananas will help the good bacteria in your gut to flourish.
Bananas are also a source of tryptophan, which aids relaxation and sleep. Pineapple adds a lovely sweet flavour and contains the enzyme bromelain, which assists digestion.
4. Two delicious chocolate smoothies
Cocoa powder contains powerful antioxidants, as well as compounds that help with appetite control. It also oxygenates the body to create a sense of energy and alertness, and naturally boosts the feel-good hormones in the brain. Use cocoa in its natural, unsweetened form.
Chocolate smoothie 1:
Ingredients: Cocoa powder, banana, peanut butter, cinnamon, vanilla, honey, milk or a milk alternative.
Optional extra: Your choice of protein powder.
Chocolate smoothie 2:
Ingredients: Cocoa powder, almond milk, dates, avocado, frozen banana, spring water and a vanilla pod.
Optional extra: Klamath algae (a source of protein and healthy fats for concentration and mood)
Notes: Sprinkle either of the above smoothies with cocoa nibs for extra chocolate flavour. Use unheated, raw honey or dates to add sweetness.
5. Summer smoothie
Cherries add colour, fibre and important minerals to this delicious smoothie.
Ingredients: Cherries, mixed frozen berries, orange peel, orange, honey, yoghurt and banana.
Optional extras: Star anise, ginger, cinnamon powder or angelica.
Notes: Cherries, with their high fibre content, stimulate and cleanse the digestive system. These delicious fruits are also a natural source of melatonin, which helps to establish a healthy sleep cycle. Choose the darker cherries for their valuable mineral content (iron, magnesium and silicon). Berries are in a nutritional league of their own – they’re very low in sugar and absolutely loaded with powerful, health-boosting antioxidants.
6. Cashew-nut smoothie
This smoothie can be enjoyed on its own, but also makes a delicious topping for fruit salad or sliced papaya.
Ingredients: Cashew nuts, fresh orange juice, fresh grapefruit juice, honey, cinnamon and banana.
Notes: The grapefruit in this smoothie helps to break down old toxins, helping to eliminate cellulite, while the cinnamon helps to stabilise blood-sugar levels.
7. Papaya-and-melon smoothie
If you frequently suffer from sluggish digestion, this fruity smoothie is for you.
Ingredients: Papaya, melon, sesame seeds or tahini paste, yoghurt or a milk alternative, honey and cinnamon.
Notes: Papaya helps to cleanse the digestive tract and, thanks to the papain in the fruit, assists in the breakdown of food, particularly protein. Add a few papaya seeds to your smoothie as they’re great for digestion. Calcium-rich tahini paste / sesame seeds add healthy fats to this smoothie.
8. Immune-boosting smoothie
Feeling a tad under the weather? Boost your immunity with this vitamin C-rich smoothie.
Ingredients: Lemon juice, lemon, orange, honey, yoghurt, spinach, banana, guava and ginger.
Notes: Lemons, guavas and oranges are all fantastic sources of immune-boosting vitamin C. The ginger in this smoothie is great for circulation and acts as an antiseptic, while the yoghurt is rich in probiotics – healthy bacteria play a key immune-boosting role.
